Papuan black myzomela

The Papuan black myzomela is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is found in New Guinea and nearby islands. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and savannah woodland. It can be often found at flowering trees such as albizias and eucalypts.

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Distribution

Region

New Guinea and nearby islands

Typical Environment

Occurs widely through New Guinea’s lowlands and foothills, extending to several adjacent islands. It inhabits subtropical and tropical moist lowland forest, forest edges, secondary growth, and eucalypt savanna woodland. The species also frequents riverine corridors, village gardens, and plantations where flowering trees are abundant.

Altitude Range

Sea level to 1500 m

Climate Zone

Tropical

Characteristics

Size11–12 cm

Wing Span18–20 cm

Male Weight0.009 kg

Female Weight0.008 kg

Life Expectancy5 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 1/5

Useful to know

A small honeyeater, the Papuan black myzomela is often seen darting between blossoms and aggressively defending nectar-rich trees. It readily visits flowering albizias and eucalypts and makes short local movements tracking blooms. Males are uniformly black, making identification straightforward where it occurs, while females are duller and brownish.

Gallery

Behaviour

Temperament

active and territorial

Flight Pattern

short rapid wingbeats

Social Behavior

Usually seen singly or in pairs, but may join small loose groups at flowering trees. Pairs maintain small feeding territories and can be pugnacious toward other nectar feeders. The nest is a small cup placed in a fork or suspended from fine branches, with typical clutches of 1–2 eggs.

Migratory Pattern

Resident

Song Description

Vocalizations include thin, high-pitched chips and rapid, tinkling trills. Song phrases are short and interspersed with scolding notes when defending flowers.

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Identification

Leg Colorblackish-grey

Eye Colordark brown

Plumage

Male is glossy black overall with a slight sheen; female is dusky brown above with paler gray-brown underparts and a slightly warmer face. Both sexes have a slender, decurved bill typical of myzomelas.

Feeding Habits

Diet

Primarily nectar taken from a variety of native and introduced flowering trees, including albizias and eucalypts. Supplements with small insects and spiders gleaned from foliage and caught in brief sallies. Also occasionally takes small amounts of fruit or honeydew.

Preferred Environment

Feeds in the canopy and midstory of lowland forest, woodland, and edges, often at conspicuous flowering trees. Readily uses gardens and plantations where nectar sources are concentrated.

Population

Total Known Populationunknown

Papuan eagle

The Papuan eagle is a large bird of prey. It is also known by several other names, including Papuan harpy eagle, New Guinea eagle, New Guinea harpy eagle, or kapul eagle, the latter name from the local name for a usually arboreal marsupial that the eagle is known to regularly hunt. This is an endemic species to New Guinea, and it can occasionally be found throughout the island. This is a forest-dwelling species, usually occurring in mature rainforest. The Papuan eagle is a fairly little-known species for a large eagle; however, it is known to prey on a wide range of prey, probably by and large mammals and birds from small to quite large sizes. Unique amongst eagles, the Papuan eagle is a surprisingly fast and agile terrestrial avian predator and is capable of chasing down prey on the forest floor. What little study has been conducted about its breeding habits suggests it nests in a large forest tree, perhaps every other year. The Papuan eagle is probably naturally scarce, but it is under the threat of habitat destruction by deforestation, as well as hunting. Due to its small and declining population, the species has been classified as vulnerable by the IUCN.

Papuan eclectus

The Papuan eclectus, red-sided eclectus, or New Guinea eclectus is a parrot species which is native to New Guinea. Larger than the Moluccan eclectus, the green plumage of the male only has a slight yellow tinge and the tail is tipped with a half-inch yellow band. The central tail feathers are green and lateral ones blue and green. It is widely distributed from Kai Islands and western islands of the West Papua province in the west, across the island of New Guinea to the Trobriands, D'Entrecasteaux Islands, Louisiade Archipelago, Bismarck Archipelago, and Solomon Islands to the east, and south to the northern Cape York Peninsula of Australia. It has also been introduced to the Goram Islands, Indonesia.

Papuan grassbird

The Papuan grassbird is a species of typical grassbird in the family Locustellidae. The species was once treated as several subspecies of the tawny grassbird, but the two do not interbreed where their ranges are sympatric. The species is endemic to New Guinea and its satellite islands. There are seven subspecies ranging across montane areas of New Guinea, New Britain and New Ireland. It is a fairly large typical grassbird, 20–23 cm (7.9–9.1 in) long and weighing 40 g (1.4 oz).